Matt McCall doesn't need Rodney Chatman to play right away.
But he does need him to be ready.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga freshman point guard has been in the high-school-to-college transition of both academics and athletics. Chatman, who turned 18 on Aug. 24, averaged 13.3 points, 6.2 assists and 4.1 steals per game as a senior at Lithonia High School in Georgia, earning Class AAAA all-state honorable mention in each of his last two seasons
McCall, UTC's coach, said recently that he's been impressed by Chatman's basketball feel and IQ and that Chatman will have the chance to earn playing time behind three-year starting point guard Greg Pryor, who is 24 starts from breaking the school record in that category, and Johnathan Burroughs-Cook, a natural 2-guard who played both positions last year.
"Rodney is an unbelievable kid that wants to be coached, wants to be pushed," McCall said. "He really gives our team more flexibility in the backcourt to be able to play Pryor and (Johnathan) Burroughs-Cook more off the ball some, which in turn helps our team, especially Burroughs who has more naturally played off the ball a lot in his career. Because of our roster last year he had to play more point, but I think Rodney gives us more flexibility in the backcourt."
Chatman said he's spent his early time with the program just trying to learn from Pryor - and take away anything he could use once he gets his opportunity to take over the reins next season.
"I've watched how he leads the team offensively and defensively, how he talks to everybody and gets everybody going before he gets his self going," Chatman said. "I'm trying to learn from him and get ready for next year as much as possible - back him up, give him rest whenever he needs it and just learn from him."
He said he came from a program with a good coach that practiced the team hard, and that has helped his transition to the college level. The next step, according to McCall, is for Chatman to continue his progress and to "approach every single day like a killer."
"He does a great job of really trying to make the people around him better," the second-year UTC coach said. "I've told him, 'This isn't about waiting your turn; when you go in, you have to attack guys and practice, go at guys and not walk on eggshells. This team needs you to be a really good player, to be able to bring different things to the table.
"He knows the right play to make on the pick-and-roll, and he's constantly making his teammates and the people around him better."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.